Reading Projects

Gamified learning is increasingly popular among students. Often times, reading is seen as an individual activity--which it can be--but I also wanted students to see the social nature of learning. I added a competitive element to our reading log by creating a partner Battleship assignment. My hope was that pairing students up would bring about a competitive spirit, inspiring students to read more in order to retaliate against their opponent.

This was so popular, we even created a grade-against-grade competition. In the span of a month and a half, one grade read 186 books--totaling 52,645 pages--and the other grade read 175 books--totaling 48,635 pages. 

Many hospitals offer enrichment programs for patients receiving treatment. To increase our sense of community, I partnered with a local hospital that allowed us hold a small book drive to collect books that could be passed on to patients. This identified an authentic audience for the students and gave their reading a purpose. Several students either returned to a favorite book or spent time finding the "perfect" recommendation. 

Our drive collected roughly 70 books that were distributed in January of 2020. 

Taking a field trip to a museum is always a challenge with middle schoolers as they want to rush through and simply look at the pictures and artifacts. I wanted them to be invested in the exhibits and take time to read the placards, internalize the information, but also carry the lessons and knowledge outside the museum.

This document is from our Holocaust Museum Houston project. It allowed students to learn about and participate in our history. Additionally, it provided the students with the opportunity to write to an authentic audience to share resources and insights with the museum.

For more information, see our partnership write up: "Finding Treasures in Our Community"